A Lesson in “Spin”

October 2, 2013

As we know, political groups put their own “spin” on news stories. Let’s suppose that, while strolling near the White House, President Obama discovered a wallet on the sidewalk and returned it to its owner. Here is how some different sources might report the story.

Liberal. “It’s commendable that the President promptly returned the lost object. Sure, all the cash was there, but it just barely was! And we demand the appointment of a commission to study this increasingly common problem and make recommendations on how to handle it in the future.”

Libertarian. “Mr. Obama should have ascertained whether the wallet was in fact lost rather than discarded. Quite possibly it was thrown down in protest of Mr. Obama’s socialist policies. Anyway, people don’t need government to intrude on their lives like this. They should be allowed to take responsibility for their own actions.”

Conservative. “Mr. Obama should know something about lost wallets. He has been careless with people’s money for years.”

Tea Party. “It’s only surprising that the Taxer in Chief hasn’t asked Congress to pass legislation to create a finder’s fee—yes, another tax—to apply to future discovered wallets.”

Christian Coalition. “Well, isn’t this just like Barack HUSSEIN Obama? On the pretext of being a good Samaritan, he turned his back on some Christians protesting abortion across the street, and rudely bent over to show them his rear end!”

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Joe Nickell, Ph.D., is Senior Research Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) and "Investigative Files" Columnist for Skeptical Inquirer. A former stage magician, private investigator, and teacher, he is author of numerous books, including Inquest on the Shroud of Turin (1998), Pen, Ink and Evidence (2003), Unsolved History (2005) and Adventures in Paranormal Investigation (2007). He has appeared in many television documentaries and has been profiled in The New Yorker and on NBC's Today Show. His personal website is at joenickell.com.